Moving to fixed base system for winter

[BabyBantam]

My 3 girls are soggy and constantly dealing with wet muddy feet. Now Nancy is well again and so stress not such an issue, I'd like to move the girls from a grass base in the ark to a fixed base for the winter.
I move them weekly around the garden, but because it's so wet and muddy, I'm thinking that putting them on a wood chip base for the next few months and cleaning / topping up the wood chip weekly would help keep them clean and maybe a little drier. The idea is to create a veg bed style raised base full of chip, then rest the ark on it so I can lift it off and clean it regularly. At the end of the winter, I can move the chip to the flower beds as mulch and put the ark back on grass.
So, my questions are -
Can pekins live without regular grass intake for the winter (cause I'm at work and leave and arrive when they are in bed all week)?
Will the wood chip be ok at the depth of a scaffold board?
How will the wood c hip react to being wet, as only one side and roof of the ark and extension is shielded from the rain?
Would auboise be better than wood chip?
Will I create a rodent issue with dropped food, as will only be cleaning run at weekends.

The idea is to save for a full height 3m sq. run next spring so I can expand my little flock when my girls get broody, but got to get them thru the winter first.

 

[chrismahon]

We had Wyandottes on wood chip BabyBantam. The run started as grass, which rapidly turned to mud so we put 3" wood chip (pine bark) on and kept topping it up. It rotted down quite quickly in the areas that got wet, but Aubiose would rot much faster I'm sure. The dry areas didn't rot at all and that's where they dug holes and soil bathed. They were desperate for grass and would rush the gate to try and get a few strands while it was open, so we decided to let them range for a few hours every day in the end. They can manage without grass I suppose, but they seem to eat it to clean their system out, perhaps to drag worms out? Many chickens are kept on grass free surfaces without apparent problems though. We had a major rat problem in those areas, particularly as they were near the canal. We had Fenn4 snap traps set outside the runs most of the time, which were moved onto new rat runs which appeared overnight. The feeders were hung under shelters at night, so the rats were only picking up the spillage. Had rat problems with the mobile runs on grass as well, but a lot less.

 

[Marigold]

Hi BB, yes woodchip will be fine, though as Chris says, Aubiose will rot down quicker when composted. Actually at present I just pick in the soiled litter and use it straight on the flower beds as a winter mulch, which will be gone by Spring. It would probably be too rich to do this in summer when the plants were growing, but at this time of year the worms take it down for you. Or of course either woodchip or Aubiose will make a good addition to a compost heap, though woodchip is more inclined to make mould spores as it rots.
As for the grass, mine do OK in an enclosed run but I do supplement their diet with greens every day. Since mine are pets really, I don't mind spending a few pence a day on cabbage, and they have remained healthy, and productive until the moult set in. Circumstances have meant they've spent more time in the run this year than previously, because during the summer the grass went brown and to let them in it wouldn't have provided food and would just have killed it off. Then, when it grew again, I'd just had a an operation which meant I couldn't lift or instal the roll of chicken netting I use to enclose a patch of lawn they can eat.
What sort of moveable run do you have? I would have thought that if the mesh was well in contact with the base, and you have a feeder that doesn't spill food, rats wouldn't be a problem.
It might be possible to improve the shielding from rain by making removeable sides for the vulnerable uncovered areas of the run. If you got some clear plastic Monotex tarp and tarp fixers from Tarpaulins Direct, you can cut it to size and use the elastic clips to fix to the sides of the run to give extra protection without losing light. Or, since the weather isn't going to get better any time soon, get a big enough tarp to go right over the roof and sides, leaving the front open for air and access. In a smallish run, the problem is that rain gets in sideways even if there's a roof, and I've found that keeping it all as dry as possible makes an enormous difference to maintenance and comfort. Monotex tarp is marvellous stuff, cheap, very strong, and lasts for years. See http://www.tarpaulinsdirect.co.uk/tarpaulins/tarpaulins/monotex-tarpaulin

 

[dinosaw]

My pekins always did ok without grass and the one I have left rarely gets out on it nowadays even in the summer as she's scared of the new lot. If you can manage it, it would be well worth putting some sort of a roof on your extension, you can then use pretty much what you want as a base material. Roofing both of my permanent runs was the best decision I've ever made chicken wise.

 

[Margaid]

Another option, if you can spare it from your lawn area, would be to cut a turf and put that in the run so they can peck at the grass. I don't know how long it would last them but you could possibly put it back where it came from if you cut it carefully and it might regrow in the spring, then cut another for them to have.

 

[Bickerton]

Another option, if you can spare it from your lawn area, would be to cut a turf and put that in the run so they can peck at the grass. I don't know how long it would last them but you could possibly put it back where it came from if you cut it carefully and it might regrow in the spring, then cut another for them to have.

Good idea, but for the pprice of it we could probably go a local garden centre andbbuy a roll every few weeks if needs must.

 

[BabyBantam]

Still in a quandary as what to do. I do have a roof and side on one side of the ark, but to enclose it completely would stop air flow and the plastic sheeting is already wet on the inside every morning. The girls eat out of plastic tubs that have low sides as whatever I've tried on the side of the ark spills due to the angle they sit at. I also feed warm mash, so after a week, there is spilled pellets and mash on the floor.
The worms are coming up through the grass, so every day the girls get wet and muddy feet and undersides - although Nancy (as usual) gets twice as muddy as the others.
You're right Chris, they do eT the grass in the run daily, so worried that removing them from this will cause an issue. They turn their beaks up at all the greens / cabbage / lettuce I've tried them with over the last week, so not sure if this is du to the grass, or not liking them. Pesky pekins.
I've been looking at the 'garden life' steel tubular runs on ebay and wondering if expanding the run would help. Still doesn't remove the mud issue though

 

[Icemaiden]

Hi BabyBantam.
I find that my girls turn their beaks up at anything new the first time, but if I give it to them little & often, they eat most things after a few days (with the exception of Brussells & carrots). Whatever the greens are, try chopping some into bite size bits first before offering them in bigger chunks. You could also try serving them up on a bed of hot mash, so that the girls associate them with treats.

 

[BabyBantam]

That's a good idea ice maiden, I'll give it a go.